CS 7800: Topics in Theory of Computing

Description

Constraint Satisfaction is a fundamental problem that arises in
different contexts, for example, artificial intelligence, statistical
physics, and probabilistically checkable proofs.
This seminar is about the computational complexity of constraint
satisfaction and its connections to mathematical programming
techniques. The goal is to learn about recent advances in this area,
especially the Unique Games Conjecture and semidefinite programming
hierarchies. A theme of this course will be the interplay between
analytical methods and combinatorial structures.
The course will consist of both lectures and student presentations.